MANILA -- The Philippine Association of Speech Pathologists (PASP) on Wednesday said delivery of high-quality healthcare through legitimate and trained speech-language pathologists can now be promoted with the enactment of Republic Act 11249 or the Speech Language Pathology (SLP) Act.
On Mar. 22, 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte signed the act on which seeks to uphold and protect the SLP profession through its requirement of a licensure examination and registration of all speech-language pathologists in the country.
It also seeks to discourage the proliferation of pseudo-speech therapists.
“It took almost 26 years for this law to come to fruition and it was worth the wait. PASP has been persistent because we know that the regulation of the profession will aid in safeguarding the welfare of our clients, who mostly are persons with disabilities.” Ma. Rowena Arao-Ynion, PASP’s Immediate Past President, said in a statement.
Arao-Ynion added PASP has been lobbying for the law that will institutionalize and regulate the practice of SLP in the Philippines since October 1993.
“We are grateful and overjoyed at the passing of RA 11249, that has been a fundamental goal of PASP for more than two decades. It is our gift to our members and the clients we serve. We thank the 17th Congress of the Philippines and other key figures who have been instrumental to the signing of this Law,” said Cynthia Rodriguez-Quiason, chairperson of PASP's Board of Trustees.
Meanwhile, Elinor Cunanan-Bautista, current PASP president, said she sees a bright future for the Filipino speech-language pathologists.
“The Act’s provisions on promulgation of the code of ethics and standards of practice as well as the continuing professional development education will further enhance and transcend the current SLP practice. This is a momentous time for all Filipino SLPs and we are extremely grateful to all PASP members, stakeholders, and government officials who have supported this endeavor,” Cunanan-Bautista added. (PNA)
